Wednesday, December 18, 2013

All photographs of the trees were taken by the blogger, on a trip to China in June of 2012.

George Nakashima’s perceived
myopic principals applied to the art of furniture design and manufacture was
and is a blessing in disguise. Many lessons can still be learnt from his
approach. George Nakashima turned his back on the modernist aesthetic of form
follows function, to adopt a more decorative approach to the design and
manufacture of his furniture.

I say decorative, because he never ever lost
sight of the inherent qualities of the wood he worked with. Far from it, he
closely examined each ‘plank of each tree’ to make the most of its second life
as a piece of couture furniture. Each piece of wood was treated like driftwood,
shaped by nature itself to take centre stage in the final design. Giving life
to a refined piece of furniture design, in a way that the original form and
shape of the tree is celebrated and or never forgotten.

Very
much in the way that fashion designers would treat textile designs. They will carefully
examine the textile print and or woven patterns, before shaping the sourced fabric
into a garment - to maximise the qualities of the print and where necessary the
texture. Working with the principals of design to incorporate a symmetrical and
or asymmetrical approach to the garment’s design, depending on the
one-of-a-kind fashion statement and or range.

Whilst on a visit to China last year, a number
of trees caught my attention; their orchestrated shapes and the care taken to
preserve them for generations to come – especially those singled out in parks.

Sculpted during their long growth period,
they take on all shapes and sizes and make for interesting visual and focus
points in the carefully designed urban open green spaces. In sharp contrast to
the wrinkles of aging skin, these tree surfaces are admired for obvious
reasons. They are beautiful in themselves, without the continuous human
intervention. However their overall proportion and design have often been shaped
over a long period of time to take on a new dimension of bonsai proportions.

Admired by all who walk past – they have become icons of the park, lending an
enduring maturity to the place. Without which the honed design statement,
cultivated over time, cannot be realised – another age-old Asian tradition. It
is with this attention to detail and knowledge of the pruning tradition, that
George Nakashima approached his wood crafted one-of-a-kind Zen design
statements.

He relished the inherent design possibilities presented by the pieces
of wood that he sourced for a second life.The phrase was sited in an article of his
daughter, Mira, the creative director of Nakashima Woodworkers in New Hope,
Pennsylvania. She hopes to continue his legacy (his death in 1990) by designing
and developing her own range, titled Keisho (Japanese for ‘continuation’).

The Vogue Living article outlining
her design aims and objectives reads as follows; This year she will debut a
collection created under her sole direction, carefully negotiating her own,
more feminine aesthetic with her father’s existing designs, trademark butterfly
inlays and dedicated, Shaker inspired work ethic. “My father’s approach came
from his rigorous architectural training and his experience in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (in Pondicherry India) which made him shun the egotism of modern art,
architecture and design, says Nakashima, “He said that each plank of each tree
has its particular destiny.” An evolving legacy runs from 20 September –
2November at Moderne Gallery Philadelphia, USA:
nakashimawoodworker.com;modernegallery.com.

I too greatly admire his
design aesthetic and work ethic and trust that many will be inspired by his
design approach, in whatever form and or shape they create their own wood
crafted statements. ‘In a climate where resources are increasingly scarce, and
longevity in design and skilled craftsmanship are harder to come by, Nakashima
believes her father’s philosophy only stands to grow in significance. In the
protégé ‘s own words, “ Although the concept of using wood in its natural form
has been part of the Japanese cultural and aesthetic history for centuries, I
do believe that my father was one of the first to introduce it to
20-century-Western Design, says Nakashima, “Since trees are becoming a disappearing
resource globally, it would be fitting that people pay more respect to them. All photographs of the trees were taken by the blogger on a trip to China in June of 2012.

Monday, November 18, 2013

There is something incredible about objects that are
handmade. Especially if they are masterly crafted to the degree where the work challenges
our perceptions and notions of the handmade. The work exudes perfection of the
highest order, to the point where it becomes otherworldly – almost inhuman.
Authenticity takes on a different meaning when you admire these works.

Mastering the craft of ceramics, weaving and
or jewellery design and manufacture at this level is beyond imagination.One stands in awe when confronted by these
works. They work on all levels. The honed skill of the craftsperson has
reached a level of maturity that makes every pot a masterpiece.

The bowl I bought.

Every work is
finished to the same degree of perfection without compromise.I stood in bewilderment at the degree of perfection
that oozes out of the work of Ian Garrett. Even if you try to look for a
mistake, you wont find one.They say of
excellent sports people, the cream of the crop, that on a very bad day, they can still beat the best.

The same could be said of a master potter like Ian
Garrett.He has such a high level of
expectation of himself that he would not for one moment exhibit any ceramic
work that will question the craftsman’s judgment. The one-of-a-kind aesthetic
is demonstrated in the forms, the shapes and the surface development.

The work
is in another league. For this critic and ceramic colleague the pattern-making
and surface texture reaches a level of creativity and maturity that is indescribable.It has evolved with the construction of each
pot and firing experience for many years – from a career in the making to a living national treasure of the highest order.

Such craftspeople strive to push the creative envelope
within very narrow boundaries of creative expression – margin for error is not part of their
vocabulary. This is a conscious decision when it comes to all finely crafted
and mastered artisans’ work. The level
of complexity in the design for manufacture all comes together from one
exhibition to the next. Maintaining these skills and level of perfection is
what separates and singles out craftspeople like Ian Garrett from the rest. One
never gets bored of these finely crafted ceramic works. Every time you see a
new batch of work it exceeds expectations. Unlike us, mere mortals, the work
improves with age – the skin is more refined and the patterns even more complex
and fresh and refined to a degree of complexity that leaves you breathless.

The bowl I bought for my collection. A beauty what!

The balance between the polished, burnished and textured
surface patterns has become even more refined. This is achieved by the complex
patternmaking applied by the artist. He twists the shapes and textures around
the pot in serpentine like fashion. I
first encountered this term when I saw the work of Antonia Canova, an Italian Mannerist
sculptor (image on the left). You could only appreciate the true artistry of the sculptor when you
viewed it from all sides (360 degrees) – the sculpted bodies’ coil in snake
like fashion.

In his latest works Ian has perfected every aspect of his crafted
pots – even the way the burnished surfaces reflect the gallery light. The
reflections add another creative dimension to his work – the highly burnished
surfaces reflect the space in which the work is exhibited. This is contained to
the burnished shapes on the pot and contrasts sharply with the complex textured
patterns, incised into the surface. The masterly crafted and textured incisions
added a tactile quality to the finely crafted pots and bowls.

” Still, the dark red, orange, umber, or
mineral landscape stretches before us like the foreshadowing of a vision. The
burnished terracotta of the pots reflects the light. The texture of each
vessel’s surface is equal to our own. For the earth is watching us….the hands
that moulded it have left their Imprints.” Words by Nimrod Lian.

He exhibited his work alongside the one-of-a-kind ceramics
of Christina Bryer (image above) and vessels and bracelets woven in copper, silver and brass.
These masterly crafted works are produced by craftspeople associated with
Threads of Africa.

It is a great pity that such exhibitions are only given two
weeks to generate interest and inspire the local art and craft community to
attract the crowds. This was truly a not to be missed exhibition. All the work
showcased master craftspeople at work at an international level.All photographs by the blogger.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

2014 could be a make or break year for many ambitious ceramists. I refer
specifically to those ceramic artists, potters and sculptors who have set their
sights on launching their international careers.These ceramists are frantically working in
their studios, firing their piece and or pieces to meet the fast approaching deadline
dates for the scheduled international ceramic award events.

They include the curated
exhibition, the 2014 Taiwan Ceramic Biennale and two international
competitions, the 2014 Westerwaldpreis in Europe and the International Ceramics
Festival’ 2014 Mino, in Japan. These events are well established on the
International ceramic awards calendar and many clay artists are aspiring to get
their work selected and their country represented.

A number of ceramists have been planning for these events months and
even a year or two in advance, to ensure their work is ready to be photographed
whilst working on updating their CVs. This is all part of the ritual of
completing the entry forms for their online submissions to meet the
requirements of the intense competition selection processes. One normally reads
the criteria a number of times to ensure you don’t miss out on valuable
information that could lead to an automatic disqualification – not meeting the
criteria for the now rather outdated competition categories. For a number of
young and upcoming artists their hopes are firmly focused on getting their work
selected.

Then there are those established ceramists that have been working for
most of their lives. They have been submitting their work for all three of the major international ceramic
events. They are a cut above the rest and have their sights set much higher –
hoping to win one of the coveted awards and or be adjudicated the overall
winner.

Their winning ceramic piece could be a life changing experience. It will catapult them and their latest
creative output into international ceramic stardom. The grand prize and
numerous merit awards (some of which are featured here) are coveted the world over, especially in the major
ceramic centres of excellence including Asia, Europe, England and America. Asia in
particular has for centuries invested heavily in the development of the craft, art and design clay products.

They have major museums and collections that inform their creative output in various
forms and shapes, including ceramic techniques and methods. The institutions of
teaching and learning associated with these centres of excellence must really
be feeling the pressure to produce winners. Enormous resources are invested in the
ceramic sector in those countries with perfect incubator facilities to
cultivate the next generation of ceramic artists, craftspeople and designers. They
have access to amazing raw materials, the latest technology and reference

First on the list of scheduled ceramic events for 2014 is the deadline
date for the International Ceramics Festival’ 14 Mino, Japan. There is no
specified theme for the competition. However the application form, under the
Theme states, that entries should go beyond traditional concepts in a way that
is imaginative and inspired – one that opens the door to the future of
ceramics.

Ceramic designs created for planned production, repeated production
(including functional pieces produced by hand or in small quantities).

Ceramic Arts

Ceramic pieces that incorporate creative ideas and techniques.

Pieces
must be new creations that have not been exhibited before. (see below for
details) Entries may not have been produced for the market as of the date that
the organizers announce the results of the final stage. Entries may not have
been previously exhibited in any newspaper, magazine, event, website, or the
like. Pieces that have been made public in order to secure intellectual
property rights are exempt from this restriction.

The Ceramic Park MINO was built in harmony with the folds of the Azuma
town mountains. It was designed by a world renowned architect, Mr. Arata
Isozaki, and was opened in 2002 as a complex building for industry and culture
with a ceramics theme.

The Museum of Modern Ceramic Art is located in above featured building and is focused on the theme of contemporary ceramic art. It is the only
museum in Japan that collects contemporary works from around the world.

Westerwaldpreis, organized by the Keramikmuseum in Hohr-Hrenzhausen.

Shortly after the deadline date for submissions for the Mino is the submission date for the European
German based Westerwaldpreis, organized by the Keramikmuseum in
Hohr-Hrenzhausen.

The Deadline date for submission of applications including photographs
is 19 January 2014.

Title image: Ceramic installation with projected animation titled, and the ship sails on. In celebration of the Chinese year of the dragon. Follow link to view video on You Tube.EUGENE HŐN : CERAMIC ARTISTThe purpose of this blog is to inform you of the creative thinking behind my ceramic statements.I will therefore provide reference material to facilitate greater interaction with you in the development of ceramic concepts. The expressed views and posted comments are intended to illustrate how the ceramic statements act as a vehicle for an expanding discourseon relevant art, design and craft issues.

About Me

I am a ceramic artist with a passion for drawing. My ceramic statements are a creative response to the literary sources I choose to read. I am also an academic, recently appointed Director of the FADA Gallery at the University of Johannesburg. I am an artist that celebrates the handmade, with strong concepts and meaning that straddles the disciplines of ceramics, sculpture, drawing, artist’s books, digital printing, animation, video or digital projection Installation and ultimately design.